


Write me down, I am the words (falling apart)

by thegooseprincess



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Genre: Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Gen, Multiverse, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Spider-Verse, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-02
Updated: 2019-09-02
Packaged: 2020-10-09 03:51:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20486858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegooseprincess/pseuds/thegooseprincess
Summary: Peter B. Parker thought he was done with all the multiverse stuff when Miles destroyed the super-collider. But when he and MJ stumbled upon a younger version of himself, quietly sobbing his eyes out on a bench in Central Park one sunny day, he settled himself beside the kid and bid MJ to leave him to deal with the situation.





	Write me down, I am the words (falling apart)

**Author's Note:**

> I wasn't going to write anything Endgame compliant, but then I had this idea. The title is taken from the Deas Vail song, Anything You Say. It's a brilliant song.

Peter B. Parker thought he was done with all the multiverse stuff when Miles destroyed the super-collider. But when he and MJ stumbled upon a younger version of himself, quietly sobbing his eyes out on a bench in Central Park one sunny day, he settled himself beside the kid and bid MJ to leave him to deal with the situation. The younger Peter looked wildly confused behind his tears, but leaned into Peter B.'s touch when he wrapped a comforting arm around his shaking shoulders. 

"Do you want to talk about it?" 

It took a few minutes for the boy's sobs to subside enough for him to speak. Peter B. waited patiently. The kid looked to be around sixteen or seventeen- a little older than himself when he had lost his uncle (he assumed that was what this was about- how could it be anything else?). When he finally met Peter's eyes, however, the haunted look they held gave him pause, and he was no longer so sure that that was what this was about. The boy looked like he had been through hell and back. 

"It should have been me," the kid croaked out. 

"Hey now-" Peter B. started, but he was cut off by the kid's hoarse voice. 

"Why am I always the one left behind? My parents, my uncle, and now Tony." His voice broke at the last name and he buried his face in his hands. "It should have been me." Peter B.'s heart went out to him. He knew there was nothing he could do. 

"Sometimes things happen, and you just don't have any control over them," he offered, knowing it wasn't very helpful. 

The young Peter shook his head. "You don't understand. I am _supposed_ to be dead. I died on Titan and he- he brought me back and s-sacrificed himself to- to-" He broke down again. 

Titan? Peter B. was unfamiliar with the name, but he didn't press. 

"It sounds like this Tony loved you a whole lot." 

This drew more tears. 

"H-he had a daughter though! A four-year old little girl who's going to grow up without a father now because of _m-me._" He started tugging roughly at the hem of his sleeve. Peter B. gently took his hands to stop the nervous fidgeting. He didn't want him to tear up the skin on his fingers. 

"Do you wanna tell me the whole story?" 

The story spilled out in pieces, but Peter B. was able to gather most of it. It was wild. Earth had been invaded by aliens, and half the population of the Universe wiped out by some crazed Titan (Peter B. now understood it was the name of both a planet and a race). Peter had been among the fallen, dying in the arms of his mentor, Tony Stark ("Hold up, hold up! _Tony Stark?!_ THE Tony Stark?! Dude, he's the biggest jerrr- Uhh, I mean... He must be different in your universe"). Five years later, Tony had turned back time, brought Peter back from the dead, and sacrificed himself in order to protect the newly-restored universe. He had died right in front of Peter. 

"Oh, kid... I'm so sorry. _So_ sorry." 

Peter buried himself into Peter B.'s side again. 

"How did you get here?" the older man asked tentatively. 

The younger Peter reached in his pocket and fished out a hunk of metal- a ring of some sorts. "Aunt May and I stuck around his house after the funeral. Everything was a bit much, a-and I n-needed to get away from everyone, everything. So I stole this from Dr. Strange. I mean- I'm gonna give it back, but I needed to just get away. It took me a couple tries to figure out how- how to work it, but I was finally able to make a portal a-and ended up here." 

After a moment, the kid blinked up at him. "Are there any others like us?" 

Peter B. laughed softly. "You have no idea!" 

Younger Peter's voice lowered. "I-is there a Mr. Stark here too?" 

Peter B. grimaced. "Kid-" 

He shook his head, as if trying to shove away an errant thought, and when he spoke, he sounded defeated. "I know, I know. I don't want to see him or anything. But, I'd feel a lot better knowing he was safe and happy in another reality. Could you tell him thank you for me? Could you let him know that I love him?" 

Peter B. took in his miserable, red-rimmed eyes and tear-stained cheeks. He nodded. 

"I will." 

They sat on the bench for another hour or so before the younger Peter decided it was time to return to his own dimension. Peter B. watched in amazement as he slung the ring in a circle, creating a portal. Through it, he glimpsed the shadow of trees and the tranquil waters of a lake. They said their goodbyes, Peter B. pulled the kid in for one last hug, and he was gone. Peter B. Parker picked up takeout for himself and MJ as he made his way home. He had a lot to think about. 

**********************************************************

Tony Stark was a difficult man to find. However, after tapping into some traffic cams and keeping watch for a few days, Peter B. Parker was able to track down the old ex-Avenger as he was entering a grocery store on the other side of the city one rainy afternoon. Pulling on his mask ("Honey! You need anything from the grocery store?" "We're almost out of peanut butter!"), Peter hopped out of the window of his and MJ's apartment and began swinging towards the store. His mind was reeling the entire commute. 

"Out of all the Avengers, why Stark?!" he grumbled, startling a pigeon off a lamp post. "I have never had one good interaction with that man. He's a total jerk! Arrogant. Argumentative. Got himself kicked out of the Avengers too. And now I find out he mentored me in another dimension? Not cool!" 

The sight of Spider-Man strolling in through the automatic sliding doors of the grocery store turned a few heads ("Doesn't he usually stick to Queens?"), but nobody bothered Peter as he jogged past the various aisles. It took a few minutes to locate Stark. 

There. He spotted him on the frozen food aisle. 

Peter took a deep breath. "I don't get paid enough for this." He approached the gray-haired man and tapped him on the shoulder. Startled, Tony whirled around, fists at the ready. Peter hastily backed up, hands raised. 

"Woah, old man! Overreaction much?" 

Tony lowered his hands. "Well if it isn't the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man!" he said, biting sarcasm dripping from his voice. "What do you want? Actually, y'know what? I'm retired, so whatever stupid thing you want to drag me into, the answer is no." 

He swung his grocery cart around and tried to push past the masked vigilante, but Peter grabbed it's side. 

"Hang on! I'm not here to ask any favors! Just passing a message along from a friend of yours!" 

"Joke's on you, web-head!" he smirked. "I don't have any friends!" 

Peter yelled as the cart ran over his foot. A few people at the other end of the aisle cast vaguely startled looks in his direction. 

"I _really_ don't get paid enough for this!" he muttered with a groan of exasperation, chasing down the man as he tried to speedily walk away. But Peter was faster. He caught up with Tony and without further preamble, threw his arms around him in a tight hug. 

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" the man roared. 

"Passing along the message. Trust me. I don't like this anymore than you do, buddy." 

He felt him relax a little, and when he pulled away Tony looked confused. "Do I want know who sent it?" 

"Me." 

Tony now looked so confused and impatient, it was downright comical. 

Peter chuckled. "Me from another dimension. Apparently another version of you sacrificed yourself to save him. He was pretty distraught, so I told him I'd pass his affection and appreciation along to you. Seemed to- well... It didn't _exactly_ cheer him up, but- He really looked up to you." __

_ _"You're insane." _ _

_ _He tried to push past Peter again, but Peter stubbornly held the cart again. Tony scowled, but the heat wavered in his gaze. He almost looked sad. _ _

_ _"Look. I don't know what you're playing at, but there is no version of me in any universe that's worth looking up to." He wrenched the cart away again. "I don't know what you want me to say." _ _

_ _Peter shrugged. "I don't know either. I just promised the kid I would make sure that there was some version of you out there that was okay." _ _

_ _There was an awkward pause. _ _

_ _"Can I take you out to dinner?" Peter asked, knowing it sounded dumb as soon as he said it. _ _

_ _Tony surveyed him closely, as if trying to ascertain any ulterior motives. "Okay. But I'm buying." _ _

_ _Peter nodded. He took off in search of peanut butter, unsure of what he had gotten himself into._ _

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think. I may or may not add more to this eventually. We'll see.


End file.
